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Thursday, October 25, 2012

World Pasta Day!

Happy World Pasta Day! Did you know that today is world pasta day?

As a mom of two little boys, preparing dinner can be one of the most daunting tasks because of the time commitment, the energy commitment and trying to find something everyone will like. Despite all of the multi-tasking and stress involved, I cook for my family because I feel that family dinner time is crucial. It provides us a time to connect; share our days and experiences with each other. It’s also a time when my husband and I can teach our boys important lessons.

According to statistics provided by Barilla pasta, 88% of parents are reliant on multi-tasking each day and more than half say that their life is more hectic now than it was a year ago. Parents said that the leading contributors to their hectic lifestyles are work, chores, errands, kids’ after school activities and kids’ homework. Sound familiar?!

For world pasta day, I had the opportunity to try some Barilla products and with my Barilla Ditalini pasta I made Barilla Ditalini Soup with White Beans from The Modern Family Pasta Cookbook. To me, this soup felt like the perfect meal for a chilly fall evening with wholesome veggies and beans. Though it wasn’t my favorite recipe, my husband loved it. He went back for thirds (and possibly fourths!) and practically begged me to promise to make it again in the future. Both of my boys ate all of their soup without complaining which is good enough for this mom :).

Though this wasn’t my favorite meal ever, I do love that next time I make it, I can add whatever I want, or whatever I have on hand to customize it to my own taste buds. That is one of the best things about pasta. I can add as much or as little as I want, saving time and energy if I’m in a rush. Also, we had leftovers day later and amazingly, the noodles were the exact same texture…they hadn’t gone soggy!

Honestly, I have not used Barilla pasta much in the past, but I was very surprised at the variety of options Barilla provides and will definitely look closer at it next time I go shopping for pasta!

Today, October 25th is World Pasta Day as I mentioned above. If you visit click over to “share a Hug”, you can help Barilla donate to Feeding America and receive a download of The Modern Family Pasta Cookbook as well as a coupon (while supplies last).

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Barilla. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.